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Mind Cleansed - Environment
“I awoke in a bare, steel cell and knew not who I was. I asked the crimson-clad guards who took me, but they would not answer, nor would the chanting priest, the Empty-eyed psyker or even the terrible lord in his gilded armour. Then my master placed a blade in my hand and I knew who I was, I was the Emperor’s servant; I was death.” — Sister Fayde, Sanctioned Inhumatrix. There are things too dangerous to know, lives too heinous to continue and there are memories too terrible to bear, even for the strongest mind. In most of these cases, the answer as far as the Inquisition is concerned is simple: death, be it a well-deserved execution or the blessing of the Emperor’s peace. But for a small number, a different solution is found—mental cleansing, a laborious and involved process sometimes known as mind-scrubbing or the “death of self ”. Through a combination of psycho-viral, mimetic and telepathic intervention, the subject’s memories are selectively erased and thought patterns altered. The resulting individual is then something of a blank slate to be rewritten, and in extreme cases entire new personalities and skills are imprinted directly into the mind. The mind cleansed are effectively reborn and remade in the image of the Inquisition’s desire, complete with whatever implanted skills or personality traits are required, perhaps along with a reconditioned physique and a new face to go with it. They may also (completely unbeknownst to them) be programmed with implanted memories of events and people that never were, or with deep-rooted mental commands they have no choice but to obey when the time comes. This process, however, is not without cost or risk. Mind cleansed individuals are often left hollow and isolated figures, distrusted and forever set apart from others. Their patchwork memories and abused minds often leave them lacking empathy, cold-hearted and filled with a sense of loss or unnameable dread. Worse still in rare cases, some fragments of the old self or memories reassert themselves over time, causing a breakdown into madness or warranting further drastic “action” on the part of their masters. A mind cleansed character has been kept alive for a reason, although they may not know and may never be told just what that reason is. They might have been selected by shear dint of survival, having endured terrible events or knowledge, and the Holy Ordos might have decided they were too useful to be wasted. Likewise, they might have been a loyal servant in the past or even an innocent victim or bystander of some horror, event or conspiracy that must remain secret. There may be darker motives though; perhaps the Inquisition has some use or hidden purpose for the individual that makes it expedient to keep them alive… for now. Mind Cleansed PC's One day you awoke having been remade at the whim of another. Your mind is little more than a house filled withocked rooms that you cannot enter, and there are a thousand questions about yourself that you simply cannot answer. You cannot remember how you acquired or where you learned the knowledge and skills you possess. Sometimes you are shocked by the things you can do. You have a yawning emptiness inside you where others have memories of their past and, as a result, you feel separated from those around you, cast adrift in social situations as if they are happening to somebody else. The Inquisition’s service is all you know, but you also know they do not really trust you—why should they? After all you don’t trust yourself; for all you know you were once the very kind of monster you now hunt. The shadow in your mind is always there, lurking at the back of your mind, shapeless and formless, visible with horrible clarity for that split second when you awake screaming, only to melt away again to nothingness, like sand through your fingers. Starting Wounds: d5+8 Wounds. Starting Fate Points: Roll On a 1–3, you begin with 2 Fate Points on a 4–9, you begin with 3 Fate Points on a 10 you begin with 4 Fate Points. Mind-Cleansed traits Engram Implantation With portions of the subjects’ minds left more or less as blank slates waiting to be filled, their reprogrammers often use egramatic induction to burn a variety of useful skill patterns directly into the Acolyte’s cortex. Effect: You begin play with Deceive (Fel) and Intimidate (S) skills. You treat Common Lore (Tech) (Int) and Survival (Int) as Basic Skills. You also begin with the Jaded ''and ''Pistol Weapon Training (SP and Las) talents. Failsafe Control All Mind Cleansed Inquisitorial agents have a failsafe command trigger implanted in their minds to prevent them from turning on their masters. Only the relevant NPC (their Inquisitor for example), should ever have access to this trigger, which usually must be delivered telepathically or by a specific sonic cadence (a simple code phrase is usually judged too risky). Effect: The trigger works just like the use of the Dominate Psychic Power (see page 178 in Dark Heresy). If the trigger is successful, you may be given an order or set of instructions you must carry out to the best of your abilities. However, if the command is antithetical or directly harmful to you, you may receive an appropriate bonus to resist the control. Imperial Conditioning Inquisition mind-scrubs are usually carried out to destroy selective memories but leave useful skills intact. Likewise the mind is often implanted with psychic barriers to prevent tampering, increase mental resilience and ensure loyalty. Effect: You gain a +10 bonus on Willpower Tests made to resist Fear or attempts to control or possess your mind (psychically, chemically or otherwise). Through A Mirror Darkly The mind cleansing process has numerous side effects, including an eroding effect on the subject’s sanity and unique dangers of its own for the character. Effect: You start play with 1d5+2 Insanity Points. At the GMs discretion, certain rare events, individuals and even things like phrases, sights, and smells may trigger “repressed” memories— roll on Table 1-3: Shards of Memory. When this occurs you must pass a Willpower Test or roll on the Shock Table (see page 233 in Dark Heresy)—note that your conditioning and any Talents that resist Fear or Insanity don’t help with this. GM Note: Use this Trait sparingly. Shards of Memory Despite the best efforts of their mental conditioning, strange and disturbing flashes of the past may creep through, materialising in frozen dislocated images in dreams, sudden déjà-vu or inexplicable fears and revulsions that pass in a flickering panicked moment. Table 1-3: Shards of Memory presents a few possible examples (GMs may feel inclined to provide further “episodes”). Category:Player Character Homeworlds